U.S. sanctions Russian firm Operation Zero following crypto-funded trade secret theft

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Russian company Operation Zero, its principal Sergey Sergeyevich Zelenyuk, and five others for using cyber tools to harm U.S. national security. This action follows the guilty plea of Australian national Peter Williams, who admitted to stealing proprietary software from his U.S. defense contractor employer and funneling secrets to Operation Zero in exchange for millions in cryptocurrency. Operation Zero allegedly traded in "exploits" that allow unauthorized access to computer programs and offered rewards for conducting them. This marks the first use of authorities under the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, signed in 2023, which targets foreign entities that steal or benefit from stolen trade secrets.

(Source：The Block)